Here is a by-the-numbers look at the Lakers’ 98-92 loss to the Washington Wizards.
1
Number of rebounds John Wall needed to record his fourth career triple-double. The Eastern Conference All-Star starter was a game-time decision due to a sore Achilles, but it didn’t seem to bother him, as he went off for 21 points, 13 assists, nine rebounds and three steals, while shooting 8-for-12 from the field. One of the NBA’s quickest players, Wall thrived on the fast break, on which he scored 10 of his points. He also made the Lakers pay for leaving him open and falling behind in transition, going 6-for-7 on uncontested attempts.
“(It’s) his speed,” Lakers head coach Byron Scott said. “The guy can get coast to coast faster than anybody in this league. You can have sometimes two or three guys (guarding him), but he can still get to the basket. He’s just that good. Tonight, he hit his outside shots a little bit, but when he gets back to the point of knocking them down on a consistent basis, you just can’t guard him.”
18
Points scored by Jordan Clarkson. The rookie set a new career high in scoring by going 8-for-18 from the field, while also handing out three assists. Clarkson did most of his damage in the first half, piling up 13 points on a 6-for-10 clip. However, the second half was much more barren for the 22-year-old, as he went just 1-for-4 in both of the final quarters.
“I though he came out and was aggressive but under control,” Scott said. “It was just like I told him after the game: ‘It’s a process. Just keep getting better.’ I am very happy with the way he played tonight.”
19
L.A.’s biggest lead of the night, which it reached with 6:53 left in the second quarter thanks to an 18-6 run to start the period. Led by Wayne Ellington (16 points) and Clarkson (11 points), the Lakers blitzed Washington up until this point, shooting 57.1 percent for 49 points. The Lakers also benefitted from taking care of the ball while the Wizards did not, as they had just two turnovers to Washington’s seven.
Lakers Shot Chart (Until 6:53 in the Second Quarter)
“I think we underestimated (the Lakers’) talents,” Bradley Beal said. “We have to respect them coming in, and they put us on the back burner. They really went after us on both ends of the floor.”
28
Points scored by Ellington, who also set a career high. The six-year veteran rewrote his personal record by shooting 12-for-20 in his 349th NBA game. Ellington feasted on the Wizards’ mistakes, as he scored game-highs in points on fast breaks (13) and off turnovers (eight), while also leading all players with 14 points in the paint. The 27-year-old was scalding early on, pouring in 20 of his points on an 8-for-11 clip first-half clip.
“I made up my mind: I’m going to come out aggressive,” Ellington said. “We are a team that needs to be hungry. We have gotten off to slow starts the past few games. We need to change that. I was talking to the guys before the game just saying to come out hard with a little more intensity.”
33.3
Percentage shot by the Lakers in the second half. L.A. went just 13-for-39 over the final two periods, missing all nine of its 3-pointers and shooting 16.7 percent worse from the field than it did in the first half. Washington, meanwhile, went through the opposite experience over the final 24 minutes, as it went 20-for-42 (47.6 percent) and outscored the Lakers, 52-35.